Balance Work and School

This can be a challenge for some due to the number of hours they are working, or the amount of stress a job can cause, but the balance is not one-sided and some things at school can affect the way that you work. But the working student does have a choice in the hours they work which gives these students personal responsibility to balance the load. This article will explore some of the ways that different students deal with the problems and challenges that come with working a job and going to school.

Madi Young, eleventh grader, said, “I work about 20 hours a week, sometimes a bit more, and sometimes a bit less.”

This is about half of the amount of time we are at school per week which is quite a lot when you take into consideration that there are 168 hours in a week and she is spending 55 of them at either work or school and another third sleeping. She said she has had some trouble getting her schoolwork finished if she works a lot.

“Every once and a while I think it does [work affects school] especially when I need to go in and help more, I don't get as much of a chance to work on stuff [schoolwork],” said Madi.

It seems that this job is detrimental to Madi, but she has found many ways to balance these two things that take up most of her life and she also receives support from her bosses and coworkers to help manage her various workloads.

“My boss is really understanding about other circumstances and she works really well with us so if I need a shift covered cause I feel like I need more time for work I can ask someone if they would like more hours but if no one wants to work for me my boss allows me to work on school stuff if I don't have to watch anyone in the pool,” said Madi.

This seems to now be a common understanding between employers and employees. The fact that most of their teenage workers have more than just their job to worry about, whether it is their home life or their school work most of the time their job isn't their first priority.

Ethan Heinrich, eleventh grader, concurs with this employee-employer understanding.

“It's definitely all about the balance, where I work they’re pretty flexible about my schedule. I can schedule myself to be able to go to school events, finish homework, and still get paid a bit of money,” said Ethan.

His place of work also shows that they know some people have other things in their life other than work. And while Ethan does work considerably less than Madi, Ethan working 6-8 and Madi working upwards of 20, he still has the ability to make his own choices on when he works so that he can complete his school work and at times it is a bit of a juggling act.

“I have to plan out when I work and what days I need off on the calendar, the calendar on my phone,” said Ethan.

Even though these people have to take all of these actions to work while in school most people still want to get a job as soon as they can. While the balance can be challenging it is an important experience that teaches you a lot about what to expect in the future of our lives. Despite the balance challenges, students find fulfillment from their employment.

“It's nice because I get to work with some people from school and also some past students, but overall it's just a fun experience,” said Ethan.